When there is an official end to the saga, the Cubs have made it known they will be in on Tanaka, who went 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA in Japan last year. But just how involved will Theo Epstein's front office be?

I just spoke w/an MLB source who believes Cubs will not be outbid on Tanaka. He also said convincing Tanaka to come to Chgo will be hard.

Once (and if) Tanaka is officially posted, all MLB teams will be allowed to front the $20 million posting fee. The teams that do so will then bid on Tanaka. Most teams in the league have expressed interest in at least entering the bidding war.

The Cubs had been waiting for a decision on Tanaka but went out and reached an agreement with a trio of left-handers late last week. Tanaka, 25, fits in with the club's long-term plans and would immediately upgrade the starting rotation that ranked ninth in the NL with a 3.97 ERA in 2013.